Pokemon Crochet Book ARRIVED

Straight over from JAPAN where some of my MOST FAVORITE crochet books originate:

I bought it from an eBay seller named Megs Favorites, a great source for Japanese crochet books. Not only did it arrive fast and in great shape, but Meg also speaks English, a big plus for me over ordering books through Japanese Amazon.

About half of the projects are knitted (basically the sweaters). Most everything else is first-rate happydance-worthy crocheted amigurumi, YAY!

My toytester "Bob" is shiny-faced for a Togepi first and a Poliwag second. In case you've somehow managed to avoid learning about Pokemon, Togepi is white with blue and red triangles, and Poliwag is blue--won't that spiral be fun to make?! Like most kids, he would have chosen red-cheeked Pikachu first but already has some. Togepi toys are less common.

All right, I admit it, I like Pokemon too. I love Clefables, all the Evees, Bulbasaur, and the legendary ones. I love it when lightning comes out of Pikachu's cheeks and what happens when Jigglypuff gets mad. I love that in battle, some Pokemon can use Friendly Look or Heart Swap to confuse.

Fireside Boy's Cardi finished

Finally took some pics of a sweater my son requested back in early Spring. When it cools off outside I'll put the buttons on.

Friends, it has pockets!

One reason I tend to crochet toys is he hates wearing sweaters. So when he requested a crocheted sweater, even picking out the yarns and colors from my stash, I got right to it.

Burly Bias necktie.

I winged it (maybe you can tell). It was my first time using basic tunisian crochet stitches for the modified drop sleeves. They feel soft and cozy and drape so nicely! The fun-to-do color pattern was inspired by Stitchdiva's 3-Color Tunisian. Here it is in one of my newest designs, Burly Bias!


The overall silhouette of this sweater makes me think of a '50's summer camp jacket. If there were some orangey or brown tones in place of the white, I think it would look even more so. That's why I'm calling it "Fireside Cardi". (The white ends up giving it a Christmasy look.)

He loves dragons, volcanoes, fiery reds, fireworks, etc. This inspired me to experiment with stitches that might look like spiky flames.

He also loves angora and found a partial ball of Tahki Jolie (the white stripes). It's the same yarn I used for this bunny and this teacher's gift. Not easy to find angora in fiery colors.

Other yarns used are: Karabella Aurora 8, S. Charles Collezione Victoria, Caron Simply Soft, Red Heart Plush, and Lion Brand Wool-Ease.

When Your Kid is the Designer....

....that makes you the contract crocheter! "Bob" drew up a firebunny plan for me to execute (this was 3-4 years ago). He shopped in my stash for firebunny-appropriate yarns. I drew a simple bunny outline. He ok'd the outline and then "designed" it by coloring it in to show me how he wanted the finished bunny to look, based on the available yarns. We ended up going with the top, side view sketch when we realized that he needed to pick a color for the tail.
It was a fun game! I enjoyed the challenge of trying to match his color changes!

I remembered last night that I never blogged about this toy because at bedtime he looked at it affectionately and said, "This is a special bunny. I'm glad you made it for me. I wonder why the ears don't stand up?" (I said, "Because it was the first time I'd ever tried to crochet bunny ears.")